Fish-trap.



N0 MODEL.

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0. MELBYB.

FISH TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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W/ T/VE SSE S S25/. EVM@ j* W' MM BY /Qtwv M A TTOH/VEY No. 769,910.PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904. O. MELBYB.

FISH TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY a, 1903.

No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Patented September 13, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

OSKAR MELBYE, OF CYPRESS ISLAND, WASHINGTON.

FISH-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 769,910, datedSeptember 13, 1904.

Application filed July 6, 1903. Serial No. 164,314. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OsKAR MELBYE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cypress Island, in the county of ISkagit and State ofWashington, have invented certain new and vuseful Improvements inFish-Traps, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to fish-traps; and the object of the invention isto provide improved means for entrapping anadromous fishes as they passup a river or stream, and to further provide various leads and gateswhereby the fish may be directed so that they will themselves swim or becarried by the onfiow of water into receiving tank or be projected uponthe lioor of a hatchery or packing-house separated from the water.

The trap is adapted for use in any stream in which are found eithernatural or artificial waterfalls or in which dams may be constructed.

The invention consists in the Various novel features of construction andcombination of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, andillustrated in the accompanying' drawings, in which- Figure 1 is ageneral plan view of my in-l vention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryperspective view of the same. Figs. 3 and 4. are perspective views offorms of fish-ladders suitable for use with my invention, and Fig. 5 isa similar view of the hood or terminal upon one of the leads shown inFig. 1.

In the said drawings the numeral 2 indicates a dam or waterfall locatedin a riveryor the like and making the latter of two levels, of which 3is the lower or downstream portion and 4. is the higher. A fish-ladder 5(see Figs. 1 and 4) extends in an inclined position from the said lowerlevel to nearly the height of the upper water-level and may be providedwith a diagonally arranged portion 5', as shown in Fig. 1, or where theheight of the dam or waterfall is considerable the whole length of theladder may be made of a series of such diagonal-portions as shown inFig. 5. In the first-mentioned ladder cleats or steps, such as 6, wouldbe utilized in order to break the current passing therethrough.Extending laterally in the shore direction from the upper end of thesaid ladder is a conduit 7, which may be of any suitable length and ispreferably made with its bottom approximately horizontal and narrowingin ywidth toward the delivery end 8. This conduit is positioned so thatthe upper edge of its sides or at least the upstream one, 7', that iscontiguous with the dam, is even with or below the surfaceof the waterflowing thereover, as shown in Fig. 2. An inclined trough or duct 9,which is comparatively narrow at its inlet end, connects the conduit end8 with or eX- tends upon a floor or platform 10 of the packing-house orhatchery. The bottom of the said duct intermediate its length isremoved, as at 11, and bars 12 are fixedly placed thereacross in alongitudinal direction. Located, preferably, directly beneath the saidopening is a sluiceway 13, adapted to convey the water and furnish achannel for the escape of small fish precipitated therein from thetrough 9-as, for instance, back to stream part 3.

14. is a receiving-tank having a grating or openings along one side forthe escape of the smaller fish and is. connected by an inclined duct ortrough 15, which is provided upon its lower end with suitable hood oroutlet 16, with a contracted opening 16', adapted to prevent the fishwhich may have passed into the tank from rentering the trough. Gates 17and 18 are provided, respectively, at the juncture of the ladder withthe conduit 7 and at the juncture of the conduit with the inclinedtroughs 9 and 15. The first-named gate is of lattice-work and may beswung across the entrance of the conduit to prevent the passage of thefish therein or into a sluiceway 19, passing through or over the dam orwaterfall, but will permit the water inflow therethrough. The othergate, 18, is preferably made without any openings therein and, beinghinged at 18', may be swung across either of the outlet-troughs anddirect the flow of water and the passage of the fish through one or theother channel, according to whether the fish are to be conveyed into theaforesaid receiving-tank or upon the floor of the packing-house. A gate20 is also preferably positioned in one of the sides of the receiving-IOO tank, and, if desired, the entrance to the ladder may likewise beprovided with a gate. Lead screens or nettings 21 are removably securedto the sides of the fish-ladder at its lower end and spread in diverginglines therefrom in a downstream direction to the banks of the river.

The operation of the device is as follows: The sh in proceeding up theriver to spawn are intercepted and directed by the lead-nets 21 into theladder, which they ascend against the current of water flowing theredownuntil they reach the top, when, if they are not to be trapped, they areallowed to pass into the higher level of water through sluiceway 19. Intrapping them, however, this sluiceway is closed, and the fish moveonward into conduit 7 which at its outlet end is quit'e narrow andthrough which the fish are borne by the rush of water, due to the steepincline of both the outlet-troughs, into either the receiving-tank orupon the fioor of the house by manipulating the gate at this point. Ifto the latter, the fish will obviously be separated from the water,which will escape through the opening into the underneath sluiceway, anddeposited in a dry or nearly dry state upon said floor. Thereceivingtank is intended solely for the collection of surplus fish.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

. l. In a fish-trap, in combination, afish-ladder, an approximatelylevel conduit connected to the upper end of said ladder, inclined ductsleading respectively from the said conduit to a receiving-tank and upona oor or platform, the duct leading to the said platform being providedwith an opening in its bottom and having longitudinal bars extendingthereaeross, gates positioned at the upper end of the said ladder and atthe outlets of said conduit, a screen along a side of said conduit, andlead-screens at the lower end of said ladder, substantially as setforth.

'2. In a fish-trap, the combination with an inclined fish-ladder, andmeans to admit water in the upper end of said ladder; of an inclinedtrough or duct communicatively connected with the upper end of saidfish-ladder, said duct having a portion of its bottom removed andprovided with a plurality of bars extending across said removed portion,substantially as set forth.

3. In a fish-trap, the combination with a conduit, communicativelyconnected at one end with a river or other natural stream of water, anda fish-receiving tank; of a duct connecting said tank with the saidconduit, and an inclined duct connected at one end to the said conduit,and means to close the openings between either of the said ducts and theconduit, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OSKAR MELBYE.

Witnesses:

PIERRE BARNES, P. C. DORMITZER.

